Six described how, at sundown, the whole town lit up with bright illumination that outshone even the stars. Among travelers of the continent, the mountain capital was extremely famous. But hearing Six talk about it so fondly stirred in me yet another question.
“If the mountain capital was so well known, I’d have expected there to be books about it. But I don’t recall reading anything at all about the place. Not even an offhand reference. Do you know of this capital, Sir Reinald?”
“Only its name and the history of its downfall. Little else,” he replied.
“How strange. Ordinarily, I feel like if all of this were true, I would have heard about it somewhere.”
Six raised his hands as if to say, Ordinarily, of course you would have.
As Black Bird fell from his grasp, Reinald scooped it up, and it settled down, closed its eyes, and fell quickly asleep.
What is up with that thing, seriously?
“It’s not at all surprising that you haven’t heard about it,” said Six. “The last emperor went as far as he possibly could to see the whole place completely and utterly demolished, along with its people. Any literature from or about the place was deemed prohibited, and for a time, anybody from the mountain capital was given a very cold shoulder. People stopped talking about any connections they had, including travelers and merchants.”
Even then, however, the mountain capital’s former royal family managed to survive for a time. But when Karl rose to the throne, he had all the men in the family executed and the elderly among the family imprisoned. The empire already had a firm grip over all the territory under its rule, and its authority was indisputable. The policies set by the emperor saw that any future light for the mountain capital was summarily extinguished.
“I burned the vast majority of any historical records of the place myself, as ordered,” said Six. “A true tragedy, to be sure.”
“And the stories of rebirth come from there? The mountain capital?”
“Stories, folklore... Call them what you will. They’re strange either way. It was said that the people of the mountain capital worked together with spirits and heard the voices of God’s own heralds. The souls of these heralds were reborn in the bodies of select children and brought prosperity to the nation.”
He seemed to be talking as he went back through old memories, and he offered nothing more.
“That’s it?” I asked.
“That’s it. I liked the mountain capital, but I wasn’t especially intrigued by its inner workings. I only heard what I told you when I was blind drunk at some point, and so I’m actually more than a little impressed that I even remember that much.”
To make things even more uncertain, Six said that the bartender who’d shared the story with him had brought it up as little more than something to chat about over their drinks, so the actual truth of it was murky. Still, talk of “heralds” and “divine children” was like walking straight into isekai rebirth territory. I’d never imagined I’d meet with the topic during a conversation like this one, but I also couldn’t believe that the nation at the heart of it had been so completely and utterly decimated.
“It’s hard to believe, but if you’re into such fairy tales, then why not visit the palace?” suggested Six.
“Ugh. That’s the last place on the entire continent I want to go.”
“But it’s also the only place to go to actually hear about the mountain capital firsthand.”
“Who are you talking about?”
“The fourth empress. The stories of rebirth are the stories of her ancestors, and I’m sure she heard them herself. Still, all the males in her family were executed, and she was banned from speaking a word of her former home. She doesn’t feel a single shred of anything even resembling love for her husband, so I imagine she’d be more than happy to discuss such a topic in private.”
The fourth empress’s ancestors?
“Didn’t you say that the mountain capital’s royal family was separated?”
“They were. But there was a beautiful young woman among them, and Karl made her his fourth empress. She’s been one of his favorites ever since.”
She had been at his birthday party, tasting his food for poisons. I couldn’t believe it. I was beyond shocked.
“Unlike the others, she’s rather kindhearted,” said Reinald.
“You know her?” I asked.
“We’re acquainted, but all this history is news to me.”
“That’s because you don’t have any interest in this kind of thing,” said Six. “You would hate relying on somebody else to lead the way, and you might well have stamped out the mountain capital yourself, albeit in a different way to the emperor.”
Does he really hate it that much?
Reinald dropped his gaze.
“I am allowed to rely or not rely on whatever I like,” he said. “I feel nothing but terrified at the idea of a nation unable to stand on its own without assistance, whether it be a box or a herald.”
“Look at you, just proving my point for me,” joked the mage.
Six chuckled. Reinald remained silent. I found myself wondering about it all. The two men had accepted the rebirth idea as a folktale, but how would they feel if an actual herald appeared before them? If that herald demanded compliance because they claimed it their duty to lead the country, would the ruler of a nation simply obey? Someone with Ern’s frighteningly advanced intelligence and ability, perhaps, but anybody else? And what future would we get if someone like me—a person with no special abilities to speak of—were expected to take the herald’s responsibilities?
I was just a simple noble, so following the lead of a herald would change little for me, but the same could not be said for the imperial family. In that sense, I could understand Reinald’s answer and his silence. I felt like I was once more being reminded of just how hard it was to be reborn in another world, and I let out a sigh.
“In any case!” cried Six.
His voice shook me from my thoughts.
“What the...?! Don’t scare me like that! What is it?” I asked.
“Here’s how it’s going to work,” said Six, pointing from Reinald to me. “The two of you are going to stick together as much as you can. This is the best advice I can give you, not as Six or as Sixtus, but as the mage trapped in the box.”
“But it’s not going to be that simple...” I uttered.